Ishiyama Kenji
History Ishiyama is a noble family in the city of Saishu. The family was part of the original settlers that helped build the colony, and were granted land for their assistance with the settlement. When the Kuchiku Rebellion happened, the family became prominent due to all the refugees that flooded Saishu. Now the family leases out their land to tenant farmers, in effect becoming their lords. Kenji was born to the previous Lord Ishiyama with one of his concubines. He has an older brother and two elder sisters, being the youngest of his siblings. His mother died of complications during childbirth, and was kept a secret from Kenji through much of his chlidhood, with the wife of Lord Ishiyama acting as his mother. In his youth, Kenji had a curious spirit. He would go into the farming community, and lead other children in his "expeditions" into the nearby woods. There, they built a secret base where they would play mock war games. Kenji was naturally charismatic, and many of the children followed him around willingly. The situation of his birth came to light at the deathbed of the elder Lord Ishiyama, when he confided in Kenji, at that time only 12, about his circumstances. His father also bestowed him a family heirloom, a sword he said was closely tied to his birth mother. At the time, Kenji was too distraught by his father's impending death to think too much about either the sword or the mother he never knew. After his father's death, Kenji's elder brother, Hikaru became Lord Ishiyama. It was decided that Kenji was to be sent to the city's temple of Shizuru to train upon his 13th birthday. Six years would pass away from his home as he trained in the teachings of Shizuru and in sword skills, his mentor a retired swordmaster from the Kuchiku Rebellion. He applied himself well, although his training was not without distractions. Several priestesses of Shizuru were charmed by his youthful vigor and disarming good looks, and an argument came up as to who would teach him religious studies. In the end the argument was settled by an older male priest, who took on the job himself, denying all the priestesses. But that did not stop them from trying to slip into his room at night for some "private lessons". It became such a problem that the monks had to set sohei guards at Kenji's door at night for months. This upbringing made Kenji more "worldly". When he left to returned home after completing his training, he began seeking the attentions of the court ladies in Saishu, who lavished such attentions onto him. Word of this reached his elder brother, and deciding that the family does not need any scandals, he sent Kenji away with a sum of money, to "learn about the world". Heritage Shortly after arriving in Haven, Kenji's skin started becoming a hue of purple. At first this caused him to fear it was an affliction of some kind, but after several days speaking with various people, he found out that the cause is most likely because he has a drow parent. He also noticed that people are not as freaked out by his purple skin as he himself was, and is now more comfortable with himself. He heard a rumor that Rike has a large half elf population, and went there hoping to find a half drow elf there to learn more. In Rike, he met a dubious older man named Skol, who after haggling with him, brought him to a tenement building and left him there. The person in the building was a local crime boss who wanted the blood of a drow to gain powers. His crew ambushed Kenji. Being surrounded, outnumbered and alone, under this stress, Kenji's drowblood powers manifested. With its help and the grace of Shizuru, he was able to defeat the criminals, with the last one running away swearing revenge when his comrades were all slain. Apprenticeship Upon return to Haven, Kenji decides he will take a safer path to learn more about his heritage. The only other clue he had is the katana supposedly left to him from his mother. He decides he will learn the katana's construction to see if that will provide any clues. At the market in Haven, he meets Eilynn Silvertide at one of her shops. She recruits him to join the White Pearl Trade Company as an apprentice bladesmith to further his goals. Appearance Kenji is a handsome Sheng male, tall and slender, with angular facial features, and bright brown eyes with flecks of blue. His appearance is almost otherworldly by Sheng standards, and might be attributed to his mother, whom the rumors say is not of Sheng descent. He wears his straight hair long and loose, well past his shoulders, and dresses in fine silks, dyed black, with simple but artful trimmings. He also usually carries an ornate katana, his birthright from his now dead parents. Personality Kenji is, for a lack of a better description, a womanizer. He enjoys the attention of the opposite sex, and says what they want to hear to gain that attention. He does not even consciously know this, and sometimes causes misunderstandings. Apart from this flaw, he is a good person at heart. He is an open and bright person, and sees the best in people. He cares for the plight of the downtrodden, and will speak people's ear off to try to convince them to do good. He also leads in this by example, protecting the weak, upholding the laws of the righteous. He has an adventurous spirit, and often seeks to challenge his skills. He has learned recently that one's worth is not tied to his appearance, although he is still very conscious of his own appearance. Friends Dogoro: A childhood friend that the family had retained as a household servant. Dogoro now travels with the young master. Baranya Lanmiriel-Hawall: He considers her the one who got away. Liennah Thividian: Liennah was the one who provided him the clues of the drow heritage, but she also scares him, and he thinks she is easily angered and a dangerous person to anger, so he tip toes around her now. Eilynn Silvertide: Runs the White Pearl Trade Company (WPTC), she is Kenji's boss, and he also considers her an ally and helper who provided him a way to move forward with his quest to learn more of his heritage. Enemies The Oni Emperor: Kenji sees the hardships of the common refugees faced as he grew up. He has also heard some horrible stories from some of the refugees about what the Oni did to the Sheng people. Aspirations He wants Saishu to get their act together and formulate a plan to overthrow the Oni Emperor. Category:Player Characters